FR2661023A1 - System for remote monitoring of unoccupied premises - Google Patents

Abstract

Remote monitoring system, of the type including detection probes able to be activated upon the occurrence of an alteration in the environment monitored and it includes, on a monitoring site corresponding to an extended surface area, such as a work site, parking area, services building, depots, etc., a plurality of first satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c) each listening out, via radio waves, to a plurality of detection probes (1a, 1b, 1c), the said probes being able to be understood by a specific satellite beacon to which they are slaved, the system further includes at least one second beacon or parent beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) listening out, by radio wave, to all of the said satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c), each of the satellite beacons including a radio transmitter able to transmit, to the parent beacon, coded signals bearing information representing the nature and the location of the alterations occurring in the environment, and the said parent beacon is able to transmit the said coded information received from the satellite beacons to a central monitoring unit (2).

Description

The present invention relates to the field of remote monitoring.

The invention relates more specifically to a method and a device making it possible to ensure, remotely and without the direct and permanent intervention of a service staff, the surveillance of premises, large areas or even of grounds, sites, workshops, factories, administrative premises and generally large areas which for at least one period (for example at night) are characterized by the absence of people, any presence during this period being considered as an intrusion which must therefore be detected and which must trigger an alarm in view of 'a verification.

Devices are known which consist of a detection probe associated with a radio transmitter.

Such devices make it possible to place, at strategic locations for appropriate surveillance, detection probes capable of detecting by appropriate means a presence or generally an abnormal phenomenon; and these probes are capable of transmitting via a radio transmitter a signal received by a central station; in this central station, the signal can be detected by surveillance personnel or possibly re-emitted by a wired or wireless link to a decentralized reception station (home, surveillance station, police service, etc.) where the signal can be registered and then trigger an appropriate reaction.

The means of detection can be multiple and varied according to the circumstances and according to the dangers or risks which are the subject of surveillance; depending on whether we want to detect either a human presence likely to constitute an intrusion, or a physical phenomenon characterizing an abnormal change in the environment (temperature rise signaling a risk or the start of a fire, humidity signaling a liquid leak, or presence abnormal gas in the atmosphere, etc ...).

More particularly, the invention will be described in connection with its application to the detection of a human (or possibly animal) presence; and according to the preferred application which will be described, the detection of this presence likely to constitute an intrusion is done by using thermal sensors or infrared sensors detecting the electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength of the infrared emitted by any person. or living subject
But it is understood that other detection means, optical, acoustic, electronic or manometric could be used without modifying the conditions of the invention.

The method and the device of the invention apply in particular to the surveillance of large areas and, as indicated, it will find a particular application in the case of an area which during the night period should normally be free of any human presence; and a particular application will be in particular a large construction site or public works, an exhibition park, closed parking, etc.

The problem encountered when remote monitoring large areas is notably that of the dimensional limits in the radio link between the detection probes and the central monitoring station.

If it is desired to increase the possibilities of distance between the probes and the receiving monitoring station, it is then necessary to increase the transmission power of the transmitters associated with each probe, which then poses a supply problem.

We understand that when it comes to monitoring a room that is generally undergoing modifications (public works building sites, exhibition grounds, etc.) it is not possible to ensure the installation of definitive probes which would be fed from a permanent source constituted by the sector; it is moreover not desirable that the detection probes be frozen, which would allow possible intruders to know, by complicity, the location and therefore to bypass or neutralize them; nor is it desirable for the probes to be slaved to an external supply, which would also make it too easy to neutralize them by cutting off the supply.

 It is therefore desirable in cases of this kind to use detection probes which are essentially displaceable, removable and capable of being set up according to the configurations and possibly with appropriate or random modifications in the locations so as to avoid that positioning and localization stable over time can be too easily identified.

In these conditions, it is necessary to install probes associated with a transmitter requiring only a low consumption (and consequently a limited radiation field).

This no longer makes it possible to cover from a central station the whole of a vast territory.

The V H F transmitters, associated with a detection probe, generally used have a transmission range of the order of 30 to 100 meters, which is very insufficient in the case of monitoring sites covering several hectares.

Increasing the range of the transmitters of each probe, would require the implementation of a much more powerful power source therefore much heavier and which, in any case, should be recharged at regular intervals hence an extremely heavy servitude in the installation of such a system requiring periodic collection of the probes in order to ensure recharging of the power sources.

The invention makes it possible to solve these difficulties and, according to a first object, it makes it possible to cover, by a complex network of detection probes, a construction site or a very large piece of land or space, capable of covering several hectares, and this by using primary detection associated with a short range transmitter; therefore allowing low consumption, so that each probe can be easily handled, moved (without representing a bulky weight) and be left in place without special maintenance for an extended period.

Another object of the invention is to provide remote monitoring of a plurality of decentralized sites, each site or zone or space monitored being capable of covering a large area (reaching several hectares) without requiring any permanent presence on the site decentralized and, however, ensuring immediate detection from an outside watch station and possibly distant, of any modification (detected by the probes) in the physical conditions of the place subject to surveillance by immediately informing the watch station of the nature and location specifies, both with regard to the site itself and the area of the site concerned, changes in the environment and in particular the intrusion thus identified.

To this end, the invention relates to a remote monitoring system, of the type comprising detection probes capable of being activated when a change occurs in the monitored environment, the system comprising at least one central standby station capable of being activated. by said probes and to emit in response to this activation at least one sensitive signal, and the system also comprises means of communication such as a radio link between said probes and the central standby station, and the remote monitoring system is characterized in that it comprises at least one intermediate monitoring station or beacon, located in the area subject to monitoring, capable of receiving over the air the activation signals emitted by transmitters associated with said probes, and said beacon comprises processing means information such as a microprocessor capable of processing the raw signals received from the transmitters associated with the detection probes ection and to transmit to the central station coded information corresponding to the nature and location of the modifications of the medium, modifications detected by said probes.

According to another more specific characteristic and corresponding to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the remote monitoring system comprises, on a surveillance site corresponding to a large area area, such as construction site, parking, service building, warehouses, etc ..., a plurality of first beacons or satellite beacons for listening by radio waves each of a plurality of detection probes, said probes being able to be heard by a specific satellite beacon to which they are slaved, the system further comprises at least one second beacon or mother beacon for listening, over the air, to all of said satellite beacons, each of the satellite beacons comprising a radio transmitter capable of transmitting coded signals carrying information to the mother beacon representative of the nature and location of the changes that have occurred in the environment, and said mother tag is apt e to retransmit said coded information received from satellite beacons to the central watch station.

And according to an even more particular embodiment of the invention, said second beacon or mother beacon is itself in direct listening to a plurality of detection probes each associated with a transmitter, the mother beacon thus playing a firstly, the role of centralization and relay from the satellite beacons to the standby station, and secondly the role of satellite beacon or first beacon by the activation signals received from the transmitters and detection probes which are slaved to it.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the satellite beacons, the mother beacon, and the transmitters of detection probes, located on a determined site, each comprise at least one autonomous power source.

More specifically, each mother beacon and the satellite beacons comprise at least one and preferably a plurality of detection probes, devoid of transmitter and connected by wire circuit to the microprocessor integrated in said beacon, these detection probes with wired link supplementing by a detection close, even immediate, the detection network consisting of remote probes communicating by radio with the corresponding beacon.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, each first beacon or satellite beacon is integrated in a portable autonomous box comprising means for receiving the radio activation signals transmitted by hertzian way from the transmitters of the detection probes, of the close detections, signal processing means such as a microprocessor and wired links between said microprocessor and on the one hand the receiver of radio signals from remote sensors as well as signals from close detection probes, said microprocessor being capable transforming the raw signals thus received into coded signals representative of the nature and location of the modifications detected by said probes, and each first beacon or satellite beacon further comprises a radio transmitter capable of retransmitting said information to a second beacon or mother beacon located on the surveillance site llance or at a remote central station.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the detection probes consist of sensors of electromagnetic waves in the wavelength of infrared.

Preferably, the mother tag is itself connected by a wired link of the telephone type to a central standby station.

And according to one form of implementation, the transmitters of the probes assigned to the same beacon, and the receiver of said beacon are respectively capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves of specific characteristics (in particular in frequency and / or polarization), avoiding any interference between the emissions of the probes belonging to the network and dependent on different beacons.

According to yet another characteristic, the transmitters of the probes assigned to the same beacon are capable of transmitting activation signals according to characteristics (in particular of modulation) specific to each probe, thereby allowing the receiving beacon to distinguish the signals from activation received from a probe signals received from another probe.

Even more specifically, each tag includes close protection means capable of detecting modifications considered to be abnormal in its structure and capable of characterizing an attack which involves the integrity and the reliability of the tag, the tag also comprising sources of decentralized local and autonomous signaling such as a siren or a light emitter (flash).

Finally, it can advantageously be provided that each mother tag includes memory means, local display means and erasing means on command, information processed by the microprocessor and representative of the nature and location of the modifications. occurred and detected in the monitored environment, thus allowing local consultation of the recorded phenomena.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows and which is given in relation to an embodiment presented by way of nonlimiting example.

Figure 1 gives a general diagram of an implementation network for a decentralized remote monitoring system according to the invention.

Figure 2 gives a block diagram of a mother tag.

Figure 3 gives a block diagram of a satellite beacon.

We will describe, in relation to all of the Figures, the network set up within the framework of the remote monitoring system according to the invention, starting from the primary detection probes la, lb, lc and ld, going towards the central station standby 2.

Between these two extremes of the star network produced according to the invention, the two intermediate stages will be described, namely a distal stage constituted by the connection between the remote sensing probes la, lb, lc and ld and a satellite beacon 3a, a intermediate stage constituted by a link between the satellite beacons 3a, 3b and 3c etc ... and a mother beacon (each mother beacon centralizing information and detections corresponding to a single site), finally a link or proximal stage between the mother beacons 4a , 4b, 4c and the central station or standby station 2.

Each stage corresponds to a particular connection going up from an external element towards an element closer to the center.

Thus the distal or decentralized stage corresponds to the connections
A, A ', A "between the remote sensing probes la, lb, lc, ld and the satellite beacon 3a.

And according to the invention this connection is carried out by radio and for this purpose the probes la, lb, lc, ld are provided with a transmitter, of limited range, making it possible to transmit to the beacon of the first beacon type, or beacon satellite, 3a the activation signals corresponding to the detection of a change in the environment.

The connection A, A ', A ", between the remote sensing probes and the satellite beacon 3a, is done by hertzian way and for this purpose each probe is provided with a transmitter (not receiver) thus allowing to transmit signals of activation towards the satellite beacon 3a, centralizing all the detections coming from the peripheral probes la, lb, lc and ld.

Preferably the transmission and reception characteristics between each satellite beacon 3a, 3b, 3c etc. and the probes which are associated with it and which depend on the same satellite beacon, are defined so that each satellite is at listening to the only probes slaved to it, thus avoiding any interference between the radio transmissions of the probes belonging to two different satellite beacons this can be obtained by adjusting the frequency or polarization of the radio waves emitted by the probes towards the corresponding satellite beacon.

Similarly, these signals received by each beacon may include characteristics, in particular modulation, specific to each probe so that the satellite beacon is capable, upon reception of the signals, of distinguishing the emission of a probe from the emission another probe; this allows in particular a fine localization of the disorders or modifications detected by the peripheral probes.

Each satellite beacon 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. has means for processing information, in particular a microcomputer which is capable, after distinguishing the signals of one beacon from another (location) or the characteristics of these signals (intensity or definition of a type of disorder, etc.), to process these data so as to emit coded signals transmitted by radio link according to the link B, B ', B "to the mother beacon 4a.

These signals make it possible in particular to identify with precision the geographical origin of the disorder (its location) as well as possibly its nature and its intensity.

The signals thus received from each satellite beacon 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are in turn processed in the mother beacon 4a.

And these data are then transmitted according to the proximal stage C,
C ', C "from each of the mother beacons 4a, 4b, 4c to a central standby station 2.

Optionally, these signals which, according to FIG. 1, are transmitted by wire connection means C, C ′, C ", in particular by telephone, could possibly be transmitted by radio links of the radiotelephone type.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram showing the constitution of a satellite beacon.

Each satellite beacon comprises an electronic assembly 5 intended to ensure communication between the various peripheral elements below, this electronic assembly 5 being powered by a possibly rechargeable battery 6.

The electronic card is essentially supplied with signals by the radio receiver 7 which receives on a determined frequency the radio signals A ', A "received from the transmitters associated with the infrared sensors la, lb; preferably each sensor transmits according to specific modulation thus allowing the electronic assembly 5 to distinguish between the emissions coming from one probe compared to another probe.

Each satellite beacon can also include, in the immediate vicinity and integrated in the box which contains all of the elements of this beacon, a sensor or close detection probe 8 which is connected directly to the electronic assembly 5 by a wired link. So that the detection signals emitted by the probe 8 are processed by the electronic assembly 5 in the same way as the signals received from the remote peripheral probes 1a, 1b and which are retransmitted by radio, the electronic assembly being able to distinguish the sources of these various activation signals.

The electronic assembly 5 after processing is thus able to direct the coded signals corresponding to an identification, on the one hand in nature, on the other hand in the location and possibly in the intensity of the disorders detected, to the transmitter 9. level of peripheral probes la, lb and 8.

The transmitter 9 therefore transmits by radio waves B to the mother beacon 4a the data analyzed and processed at the level of the satellite beacon 3a and informing the mother beacon 4a of the disturbances or the absence of disturbances possibly noted at the level of the peripheral probes. .

Each satellite beacon also includes close protection probes capable of observing and detecting a phenomenon capable of translating an attack against the integrity of the beacon or of the premises where it is positioned; this may for example be a detector 10 capable of detecting an attack against the walls of the room, a door opening detector 11, etc.

The satellite beacon can possibly include decentralized signals making it possible to translate on the spot the existence of a trouble which should trigger an alarm.

Thus each satellite beacon can include a siren 12 and an optical lightning or flash projector 13 thus allowing a team possibly on site to immediately identify the existence of a trouble at said satellite beacon.

Figure 3 shows the embodiment of a mother beacon which generally includes the same means as described above for each satellite beacon, namely an electronic card Sa, a power supply 6a, local alarm signals namely a siren 12a and a flash 13a, a close infrared sensor 8a, a receiver 7a for listening to the radio signals transmitted from the infrared detection probes la and lb assigned to this beacon as well as the direct aggression probes 10a and pila.

The mother tag may optionally include a power supply from sector 14.

Specifically, the mother beacon which corresponds to a single centralization beacon for the whole of the field, local, surface or monitored area, comprises a receiver 15 listening, by the radio link B, B ', of the transmitters 9 associated with each satellite beacons.

Thus the electronic assembly Sa of each mother beacon is able to process not only the signals corresponding to local detections, specific to the mother beacon itself and coming from the infrared sensors la and lb which are assigned to it, and received by the receiver 7a , this data being processed together with the data received even more closely by the immediate sensors 8a, but the electronic assembly also processes the data received by the receiver 15 by the radio links B, B ', B "from the peripheral tags 3a, 3b, 3c etc.

All of this data is processed to supply information via 16 the telephone transmitter 17 itself supplied with current via 18 from either the battery 6a or from the sector 14.

The telephone transmitter is in communication by the wired link C or by the radio link D with the central station 2.

The telephone transmitter can include a peripheral socket for telephone communications 18 as well as an emergency signal 19.

Each electronic assembly 5a situated at the level of the mother beacon comprises means for storing all the processed signals in memory as well as display means subject to the control keys respectively for the start of operations 20 and the end of operations 21 .

These keys 20 and 21 therefore make it possible to locally obtain the display of the data stored in the electronic assembly 5a of the mother tag, thus making it possible to consult all of the phenomena on site, or the absence of phenomenon, noted during a determined period corresponding in principle to the time interval since the previous consultation.

The service personnel in place, or in permanent contact with the standby station 2, can thus be alerted when at the standby station 2 a signal corresponding to a trouble detected from a decentralized probe la, lb etc ...

was sent from this probe to the satellite beacon, then retransmitted to the mother beacon and finally to the standby station.

The information processing on each floor, in particular at the level of the satellite beacon and at the level of the mother beacon, making it possible to transmit signals which will be received at the standby station immediately informing the personnel about the desired characteristics of the disorder or disturbances thus detected, that is to say their location and possibly their nature, intensity etc.

It can thus be seen that the invention makes it possible to ensure, with extremely reduced personnel resources, remote monitoring of a surface and more generally of a plurality of zones or surfaces, of large extent.

It then suffices that a reduced team of patrol on duty operates between the various zones, construction sites, parks, warehouses, premises etc. monitored, while remaining in radio telephone connection with the watch station; this patrol can thus be immediately alerted at any time of an instant trouble found on a site subject to remote monitoring by being directly informed of the location, nature, etc. of the trouble, which allows it to prepare its route for '' be immediately on site without intermediate approach steps.

Claims (12)

1 - Remote monitoring system, of the type comprising detection probes capable of being activated when a change occurs in the environment monitored, the system comprising at least one central standby station capable of being activated by said probes and transmitting in response to this activation at least one sensitive signal, and the system also includes means of communication such as a radio link between said probes and the central monitoring station, and the remote monitoring system is characterized in that it comprises at at least one intermediate monitoring station or beacon, located in the zone subject to monitoring, capable of receiving over the air the activation signals emitted by transmitters associated with said probes, and said beacon comprises means for processing information such as a microprocessor capable of processing the raw signals received from the transmitters associated with the detection probes and of transmitting to the station central coded information corresponding to the nature and location of changes in the medium, changes detected by said probes. 2 - Remote monitoring system according to claim 1, and characterized in that it comprises, on a surveillance site corresponding to a large area of area, such as construction site, parking, service building, warehouses, etc., a plurality of first beacons or satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c) listening by radio waves each of a plurality of detection probes (la, lb, lc), said probes being able to be heard by a specific satellite beacon to which they are slaved, the system further comprises at least one second beacon or mother beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) listening, by radio, to all of said satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c), each of the satellite beacons comprising a radio transmitter capable of transmitting to the mother beacon coded signals carrying information representative of the nature and location of the modifications which have occurred in the medium, and said mother beacon is capable of retransmitting at the central station (2) for monitoring said coded information received from satellite beacons. 3 - Remote monitoring system according to claim 1 or claim 2, and characterized in that said second beacon or mother beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) is itself directly listening to a plurality of detection probes ( la, lb, lc) each associated with a transmitter, the mother beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) thus playing on the one hand the role of centralization and relay from the satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c) to the standby (2), and on the other hand the role of satellite beacon or first beacon by the activation signals received from the transmitters and detection probes which are slaved to it. 4 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the satellite beacons, the mother beacon, and the transmitters of detection probes, located on a determined site, each comprise at least one autonomous power source . 5 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims i to 4, characterized in that each mother beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) and the satellite beacons (3a, 3b, 3c) comprise at least one and preferably a plurality of detection probes (8), devoid of transmitter and connected by wired circuit to the microprocessor integrated in said beacon, these detection probes with wired link supplementing by close, even immediate detection, the detection network consisting of remote probes communicating by channel over the air with the corresponding tag. 6 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each first beacon or satellite beacon (3a, 3b, 3c) is integrated in an autonomous portable box comprising means for receiving the radio activation signals transmitted by hertzian way from the transmitters of the detection probes (la, lb, lc), close detection probes (8), signal processing means such as a microprocessor and wire links between said microprocessor and on the one hand the receiver of the radio signals coming from the remote probes as well as signals coming from the close-up detection probes, said microprocessor being able to transform the raw signals thus received into coded signals representative of the nature and the location of the modifications detected by said probes, and each first beacon or satellite beacon further comprises a radio transmitter (9) capable of retransmitting said information rmations to a second beacon or mother beacon (4a, 4b, 4c) located on the surveillance site or on a remote central station. 7 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims there 6, characterized in that the detection probes consist of sensors of electromagnetic waves in the wavelength of infrared. 8 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the mother tag (4a) is itself connected by a wired connection of the telephone type to a central station (2) standby. 9 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the transmitters of the probes assigned to the same beacon and the receiver of said beacon are respectively capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves of characteristics (especially in frequency and / or polarization) specific, avoiding any interference between the emissions of the probes belonging to the network and dependent on different beacons. 10 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the transmitters of the probes assigned to the same beacon are capable of transmitting activation signals according to characteristics (in particular of modulation) specific to each probe, thus allowing the receiving beacon to distinguish the activation signals received from one probe from the signals received from another probe. 11 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that each tag includes close protection means and capable of detecting modifications considered to be abnormal in its structure and capable of characterizing an attack involving the integrity and reliability of the beacon, the beacon also comprising local and autonomous decentralized signaling sources such as a siren or a lightning emitter (flash). 12 - Remote monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 11, and characterized in that each mother tag includes memory means, local display means and erasing means on command, information processed by the microprocessor and representative of the nature and location of the changes that have occurred and detected in the monitored environment, thus allowing local consultation of the recorded phenomena.